There hasn't been a large-scale war in Europe since World War II. Now it’s on the brink, after Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine.

In the weeks leading up to the attack, President Joe Biden imposed economic sanctions against Russia to deter military action. He also enacted measures aimed at hurting some members of the Russian elite, as well as barring Russia from trading debt in the U.S. and Europe. 

On Thursday, President Biden took things a step further, announcing yet another slate of sanctions against Russia and vowing to “hold Russia accountable” for the attacks. This time, the president announced sanctions on four of Russia's largest banks. That’s in addition to two financial institutions the U.S. sanctioned earlier this week. The U.S. and allies will also be imposing new export controls on Russia and further hitting Russian elites with sanctions. 

President Biden said NATO will be convening on Friday, where the U.S. and allies will be mapping out what comes next — though the president emphasized that U.S. forces would not be going to fight in Ukraine.  

For more on this, The Takeaway spoke with Paul McLeary, defense reporter at POLITICO.